Jason Saggo will battle Leandro “Buscape” Silva at UFC FN 89, and the lightweight’s hoping to turn even more heads his way, following his impressive win over Justin Salas.

The Wulfrun MMA fighter took on Salas this past March at UFC 196, and while showcasing his BJJ black belt pedigree, stopped him in round one. In Silva, Saggo won’t be facing a top ranked contender, but the Brazilian is rising up the ranks after going undefeated in four straight fights. As a result, Saggo keenly understands how important this Saturday’s bout is.

“Ya, I think if, when I beat him, he’s a 19-3 fighter…so, he’s definitely got a lot of experience, he’s beaten some good guys, and he’s also fought, he’s got a win at 170 in the UFC too,” Saggo relayed on a recent episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio. “So he’s beaten guys at a high level in the UFC in a higher weight class.”

Silva made his Octagon debut back in 2014, and lost to Francisco Trinaldo by split decision. Since then, “Buscape” has scored wins over Charlie Brenneman, Lewis Gonzalez and most recently Efrain Escudero. He also had a no-contest result against Drew Dober (the fight was initially declared a submission win for Silva, but because Dober never tapped, the result was overturned).

“It’s certainly a very tough opponent and I’m training very hard, I’m training seriously, and we’ve put together a solid game plan for the night of the fight, June 18th.” said Saggo (11-2), who dropped a split decision to Paul Felder before fight Salas. “I think when I beat him it will propel me into, I would say, top 25 guys in the UFC, and my next opponent would be top 25.”

“It’s a very competitive division,” added Saggo, who has gone 2-1 in the Octagon to date and also holds a stoppage win over Josh Shockley under the UFC banner. “The 155 division is very stacked. There’s so many killers inside of that division…”

And what approach is Saggo expecting Silva to take when they throw down this Saturday?

“If you watch his fights he’s quite a balanced fighter. He’s not overly aggressive, he’s not overly defensive, he’s kind of back-and-forth a lot, so I see him following a similar game plan. I know he likes to body lock, he likes to get his hands together and attempt body lock takedowns and we’ve been working a lot on defending, and working out of those bad situations. Also implementing my own strategy, my own game plan, my own offense and my own combinations. I think it’s going to be an interesting fight…”

UFC FN 89 will be hosted by the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario. In the main event, Rory MacDonald will take on fellow welterweight contender, Stephen Thompson.

Jason Saggo’s victory at UFC 196 wasn’t his first under the promotion’s banner, but it seems like the win raised the lightweight’s profile into a new, higher tier.

Saggo took on Justin Salas at the March 5th event, and proceed to stop the accomplished wrestler in the opening round. Since Saggo hit a beautifully timed sweep during the fight, and controlled Salas from the top, UFC commentator Joe Rogan heaped praise on the Canadian’s jiu-jitsu. It turns out that the BJJ black belt spoke with Rogan briefly before the contest.

“It’s funny. I had a little talk with Rogan, right before, the day of the weigh-ins, the day before the fight,” Saggo said on Full Contact Fighter Radio recently. “I just told him, you know, keep your eyes out, watch out. So I guess he was watching my fight, and he’s also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.”

“I didn’t hear his commentary at the time but afterwards I saw, and I watched the video, and what he was saying, and I heard him, I think he said I had exceptional jiu-jitsu, and that’s a big compliment coming from a guy who has been in the fight industry as long as Joe Rogan. That was very nice of him to say.”

Not only was it an impressive win, but it took place on one of the biggest cards in UFC history. So, although Saggo’s fight took place on Fight Pass, it was high visibility win for the 30 year-old.

“The fans have been awesome. Even on the plane ride back, I had people coming up to me, lots of Canadians, just saying hi, what’s up, asking for photos, just very supportive,” the Prince Edward Island fighter reported. “Back home with the media, CBC, the local paper, everyone’s been very supportive.”

“I think it’s getting more attention because it was. It was a bigger card. ” Saggo said, while referring to the fact that UFC 196 was such a massive event. “It was also the third highest grossing card in UFC history, so it was definitely a bigger card. Conor (McGregor) is going to put a lot more attention on any card he’s on. So it was great to be involved in a card that Conor was on. I got to be in his locker room, which was phenomenal, so I think that’s why it’s getting more attention. Mostly because of Conor McGregor.”

The latest episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio features discussions with the MMA Lab’s John Crouch, UFC vet Aaron Riley, and AFC lightweight Jason Saggo.

Crouch is a BJJ black belt and one of the head instructors at the renowned MMA Lab, which is the training home of UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson.

Riley is set to make his Octagon return at UFC on FOX 8 in Seattle on July 27th, and will take on Justin Salas.

Saggo is a rising lightweight in Canada, who recently signed with the Aggression Fighting Championship, and will take on Stephen Beaumont at the promotion’s July 5th card this weekend in Edmonton, Alberta.